A Hiccup in the Battle
by butterchicken
Summary: Hiccup is an orphaned blacksmith, trying to survive in a war. After he gets kidnapped by one of the armies, he falls in love with one of the soldiers. Merida is considered the weakest link in her army, but she suspects something is off about the leader, she and Hiccup, the prisoner embark on a life changing journey. Rated T for gore. Mericcup
1. Chapter 1

I'm back. My apprenticeship went well, and I even got reunited with my brother, who I haven't seen in 7 years. Anyway, here's my new story. It was originally an original story I wrote. If I get the original version published, I'm taking this down. Note, for this story, pretend Merida isn't as tough as usual.

Enjoy, and thank you, everyone for your reviews.

Chapter 1

In the land of Berk, a giant war was beginning.

The war was between two small groups, an all female group called 'The Five', a group of five woman who were both beautiful and dangerous, and an all male group called 'Iron Ore', a larger group of sadistic, misogynistic men who loved nothing more than a good day of carnage.

No one knew exactly how many members there were, and frankly, no one really cared. They just wanted to stay alive.

Why this war started, and when? Well, that would always be a mystery, but one thing was certain: That war would change my life forever.

I had no idea, as I was stargazing the night before, that I would play a part. Why would someone like me be involved? At the time, I was a young blacksmith, the tender age of twenty, who was dreaming of a different future, living five blocks east from 'The Five's' base, but that I didn't know. Yet.

I was uninterested and uninvolved in the war, and had no intention of becoming involved, I just wanted to raise enough money to put a meal on the table. But Fate just didn't have my interests in mind.

It began when the sun rose one particularly sunny morning. I was on my morning walk, a daily ritual I do before I open my shop at ten, and for some reason decided to be adventurous and take a different route.

What I was expecting to happen that day, I'll never know.

As I was about to turn and head for home, something caught my eye: It was an old decrepit building. The bricks a sickly gray colour and were starting to crumble, and some ivy was sprouting from the concrete, the windows were smashed beyond repair and the lawn out the front had obviously died long ago and was replaced with sludge.

What really fascinated me was that even though no one in their right mind would live in a place like this, not that I can talk as I also live in my blacksmith shop, I still saw a human's silhouette in one of the windows.

Was this a haunted building? Or was this the base of 'The Five' that I kept hearing about?

Feeling curious, I crept closer and peeked through the only window that wasn't broken, or maybe it was broken all the way through, I didn't know.

I know, technically, it's considered bad manners, but my parents died before they were able to teach me about manners and etticate, so I wasn't concerned.

Looking around, I noticed the inside was just as bad as the outside. Maybe even worse. The wall paper was shredded, there was graffiti and paint splatters on the wall, broken glass scattered the floors, and the carpet looked like it was growing a blackish-green fungus.

But it wasn't the carpet, or the walls, or even the lack of furniture that caught my attention.

Instead, it was the young woman standing in the room.

She looked rather young, no older then 19, had pale, creamy skin with no make-up, long, curly, red hair that was flying loose like a million springs, and blue eyes that leaked innocence and a fighting spirit. Looking at her, I felt my breath catch in my throat. I had never seen anybody quite as beautiful.

I don't know how long I was standing, gawking, when I felt something seize me and yank me away from the window, turning me around in the process.

"Well, well, well." a sinister voice said.

"Looks like I caught a spy."

Looking up, I saw the grey eyes of another woman.

This one had long, curly black hair, red war paint on her face and she was about as buff as the average man. She was wearing an excentric red dress with gold sashes and lace. The woman picked me up by the collar on my shirt and hoisted me up so I was dangling in mid-air.

"I'd better get the rest of the five." She said in a creepy voice. One that sounded like she had a couple screws knocked loose.

"They'll know how to dispose of you, hopefully it will be nice, slow and gruesome!"

She said the last four words like she was jumping on hot coals in her bare feet.

Then she laughed hysterically.

She took off her sash and tied up my hands, and shoved a sock in my mouth to silence me incase I started screaming.

I mentally gulped. I was in serious trouble!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Paging the Five!" The woman screamed, dragging me inside by my wrists.

She led me to an odd looking platform that was slightly raised above the ground.

On the platform was a very uncomfortable looking chair made of cold stone with spikes sticking out on the seat and the headrest.

I winced in anticipation as the woman pushed me into the chair, untied the sash from my hands and re-tied my whole body to the chair.

Every nerve and bone in my body screamed in pain and protest as the spikes penetrated through my body, and my eyes widened as I caught the sight of blood dripping down my one leg.

"GIRLS!" The woman screamed again, obviously angry her posse wasn't here yet.

There was a big scramble and four other woman entered the room.

One had blue eyes and blonde hair that was set in a French braid.

One had green eyes and really long, blonde hair and was wearing the pinkest outfit ever.

One was slightly younger with auburn hair and blue eyes.

The last one was... aha! The woman I spied through the window.

Suddenly it hit me.

I was in 'The Five's' lair. These women were members of 'The Five'.

They could kill me in any way they saw fit.

The red haired woman's blue eyes lowered until they found my green eyes.

She blinked once, almost as if she was trying to send me a secret message, and then looked back up, as if nothing happened.

"What do you call us for?" the long haired girl asked in a deep, seductive voice.

The woman backed up and pointed at me with a flamboyant hand gesture.

"I caught this... riff raff, spying on us in our own base. Shall we kill him?" She asked, grinning in a way that made me feel sick to my stomach.

"Why?" A thick, accented voice asked.

"Why should we kill him?"

I looked up and saw the red haired girl had asked this question.

The black haired girl, the one I'm assuming is the leader, headed over to her and pointed at me again.

"He is obviously a spy sent here from 'Iron Ore'. He has the look: his shifty eyes, his dirty attire..."

She knew this was one argument she couldn't win.

"Okay, he just has that look, alright?" She asked, throwing up her hands in defeat.

The red haired girl cocked her head to the side, trying to see me as a criminal.

I on the other hand felt very hurt.

My eyes weren't shifty! They just never liked to stay in the same place for more then five seconds, I know I wasn't the handsomest guy in the world: Stringy brown hair that was semi-long with bangs swept over my forehead, dirty hands from my job, my body looked like someone pulled baby skin over an adult skeleton due to starvation and malnourishment, not to mention the thousand burns all over my body for when I got too careless at my job, and my missing leg from when I accidentally spilt metal on me.

The red haired girl suddenly snapped her fingers as if she had an idea.

"Wait, Gothel!" She cried out, the look of satisfaction in her eyes.

The leader, Gothel, turned in surprise.

"What, Merida?" She asked, seemingly annoyed.

The red haired girl, Merida, went over to me, examining me.

"That boy! His outfit! He's a blacksmith!" She said, happy with her discovery.

"So?" Gothel asked.

"What of it?"

Merida turned back to Gothel.

"So, we've been fighting in a war, and all our weapons are gone or broken. We'll need more weapons! This blacksmith can help us."

Gothel looked at Merida in disgust, then back at me.

"Are you really a blacksmith?" She asked.

Unable to talk because of my gag, I merely nodded.

Gothel growled. "Fine. We'll put you to work."

My eyes widened at Merida. She willingly saved my life!

Gothel went behind the chair and untied me.

When I got up, massaging my neck. Gothel grabbed my wrists and tied me back up.

"I'll bring you the materials and a list of what to make." She said, hatred quite apparent in her voice as she removed the sock from my mouth.

"And you'd better have it done by the time of our next battle, otherwise, you'll be my next kill."

She angrily grabbed my shoulder to prove her point.

I coughed in pain as I nodded.

"Good." Gothel sneered, grabbing my wrists and towing me out of the room.

I turned to see if I could catch a glimpse of Merida, maybe say thank you, but she was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

For the next eleven weeks, I spent every dawn working on the weapons, and every nightfall crossing off the weapons I finished.

Gothel had locked me in a room that might have been a bedroom before hand, but now it was a disaster.

It made my shop look like the queen's bed chambers.

Just as promised, Gothel gave me a list, and every three days, she would give me some metals to melt down as I recently spent my last penny on a loaf of bread.

While I was happy with the free metals, something seemed kind of fishy.

For an army of only five, Gothel sure was putting me to work. The amount of all the weapons I had to make were in the double digets, and I had to customise each one in a special way.

Another odd thing was, a lot of the metals she gave me were gold. Gold is really soft and can't be used for weapons, as they would break easily, but I didn't want to openly question her for fear of her killing me.

I apparently wasn't the only one who was suspicious. Members of The Five would hold full conversations outside my door, and if I was quiet enough, which I usually am, I could hear snippets of it.

They were usually were about Gothel and how everybody seemed to notice something fake about her, be it her attitude or her abnormally large breasts, or other times, it was about the curiosity between the relationship between her and another member, one named Rapunzel.

It always, however, ended with a

"She may be suspicious, but she's our leader, let's not rock the boat."

And than the conversation would come to a screeching halt.

It wasn't all bad though.

Sometimes Merida would appear and give me some food, but we never talked.

I'm not a big talker, but I at least try to make an attempt at conversation.

Around Merida, however, my mind went blank.

The food she gave me wasn't enough to fill my stomach, sometimes a loaf of bread, sometimes a bowl of rice, but I hadn't eaten in a while, so I wouldn't have cared if she gave me rat-meat if it meant having dinner.

After a bit, Merida began to hang out with me, watching while I built weapons. It was a new experience, as I usually work alone, but I can't say I didn't love the company.

I just didn't understand why anyone so beautiful would want to hang with an ugly guy like me. I tried to find ways to amuse her, or at least make her smile, but it was different than engaging in conversation, and we didn't seem to have the same sense of humour.

Finally, one day, Merida broke the ice.

"Do you have a name or something?"

My head shot up in surprise. I did have a name... I just didn't remember, however that wasn't a good answer, so I just smiled and said. "Yes."

Merida's eyes widened in surprise.

"You can talk?"

I nodded.

"I just don't do a lot of it." I admitted, finishing a sword and setting it aside.

"So, what is your name?" She asked.

I froze in mid hammer.

I didn't know! I frantically looked around the room, trying to find a good, sturdy name.

While I was looking around, I nervously hiccuped. As I blushed, an idea came to me.

"Hiccup." I said.

"My name is Hiccup."

Merida giggled.

"Funny name." She said.

I sighed, finished my hammering and began melting down some metals for my next weapon.

"Merida?" A new voice asked.

This voice seemed slightly drunk off life, with an odd giddiness to it.

"In here!" Merida called out.

The door flew open and the younger girl entered.

"There you are. I was wondering." She smiled down at Merida.

Merida smiled back. "I'm sorry to have worried you, Anna."

As I was pouring the melted metal into its mold, I silently eavesdropped on their conversation.

I found myself wondering why Merida was even a part of 'The Five'.

She seemed so innocent! Like a dove in the midst of vultures. There had to be a mistake!

Anyway, their conversation wasn't really interesting.

They were just discussing ambush tactics and when they should train with the weapons I made.

Probably didn't want to give me any ideas.

"Anyway!" Anna said, turning to me.

"How has your work been going?"

I smiled and gave her a thumbs up sign.

"It's going well, Ma'am."

Anna turned to the weapons.

"That is a lot." She commented with a raised eyebrow.

I blushed, feeling ashamed.

"It... It's in the list Gothel made me." I timidly explained.

Anna smiled at that. "Ah, I see. We girls do go through seven different weapons a day."

I gulped. Seven weapons? That's really terrifying! If I'm not careful, I could turn into a shishkabob, if the weapons don't all break first.

Anna turned back to Merida. "Anyway, Gothel is doing some training, and you are needed. You need it most of all."

Merida turned, a hot blush across her face, probably from embarrassment, then she turned back and looked at me, something new was in her eyes.

I smiled back at her, feeling two pinpricks burn on my own cheeks.

Anna obviously noticed the chemistry between us, because she angrily turned to Merida.

"Merida! What are you thinking?"

Merida snapped to attention.

"He's a blacksmith!" She snapped.

"And you!" She turned to me.

"Don't even think about it, riff raff like you shouldn't even be allowed to breed! Do your work!"

Those words cut into me like a steak knife.

Merida sighed. "Okay, Anna."

Then she turned to me.

"Bye, Hiccup." She sweetly said, before leaving.

My eyes lingered on the spot where she stood, then Anna's words cut into me.

I sighed sadly and put my finished shield aside.

"There's nothing wrong with being a blacksmith." I murmured.

I picked up my list, The shield was my last thing. I had nothing left to make! I was officially finished my work!

I was about to clean up my workspace when the door opened.

I turned in surprise, and to my displeasure, Gothel was in the doorway.

She looked at my pile of weapons and shields.

"I see you finished." She said, her smile was particularly evil.

"Now we have no need for you." She went over and grabbed my wrists.

"And you no longer have any need for your head!" she smirked as she ran a finger across my slender neck.

My eyes widened.

I was tricked!

She was going to kill me no matter what!

Plus I helped take part in the war when I had vowed not to!

Looking around, I noticed we were really close to the table where the weapons and shields lay.

As I studied my surroundings, an idea came to mind.

Moving my hips in a jerky way, I bumped into the side table where I kept my finished products.

They wobbled a bit then took a tumble.

Just as I hoped, they fell on her! Using that as my chance, I freed my wrists from her grasp and ran away.


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry for making Anna so mean in the last chapter. Like I said, you may need a suspension of disbelief, btw, keep in mind, I have no issues with Rapunzel.

On with the book.

Chapter 4

Due to my convenient nimbleness and my build as a monkey, even though I only had one leg, I was able to shimmy up a really tall tree where I was safe.

I massaged my sore wrists as I thought of what I should do next, my wrists were starting to feel better, but my heart was still sore.

I was positive I'd seen the last of Merida.

Looking up, I saw I was near the decrepid building. Right by a window.

Even though the window was slightly broken, if Gothel looked out the window, I'd still be in plain sight.

I clambered higher up the tree, trying to stay hidden.

I needed to escape, but I also needed to say goodbye to Merida, even if it was from a distance.

She was my only friend there, and she helped give me a name.

I clung to a semi thick branch, away from any windows, and high enough that I was hidden by the leaves.

As I was planning my escape route, I heard an angry "Where is he?"

Looking down, I saw the unmistakable black locks of Gothel's hair.

She was right underneath me!

I had to be super careful, otherwise my next move would be my last.

"Where's who?" A voice asked.

Based on my time at the base, and the sexual huskiness in the voice, I figured Gothel was talking to the long-haired girl.

"The blacksmith!" Gothel snarled.

"He attacked me and escaped! Now I don't know where he is!"

I gulped and clung tighter to the branch.

The long-haired girl made a noise that sounded like a cat purring before continuing.

"I can rearrange that." She said.

"I can always seduce him to death."

Gothel laughed maliciously. "Ah, Rapunzel, you always have had that sexy streak to you. Sadly, I don't think I can let you do that."

So THAT was Rapunzel! I could kinda understand the confusion.

I then smiled to myself.

Even if she was allowed, I wasn't the type who would get seduced easily. I prefered innocent people, like Merida, over people like... well, Rapunzel.

I hung down from the branch with my feet before listening to the girls talk.

"So, what about your other... thing?" Rapunzel asked.

Other thing? I thought, leaning over further.

Gothel looked around in fear.

"Don't be so open about that!" She snapped.

"We don't want anyone getting smart about my secret mission."

I couldn't believe my eyes or my ears. Gothel was harbouring a secret!

I cupped my hand around my ear, hoping to find out what it was.

Gothel began pacing around in circles.

"Well, I was going to do it earlier, but that stupid blacksmith got in my way. No matter how you put it, Merida just isn't Five material. I realized when she begged us to feed the blacksmith due to his malnutrition... or starvation! I can never tell the difference... Anyway, that's not important! She has to go!"

My eyes widened. They were going to release Merida from The Five? That was amazing!

Then Gothel continued.

"So, Rapunzel. Tomorrow, at breakfast, you are to poison her food, and when she goes into shock, blame the blacksmith. That way, Merida is out-of-the-way, and I'll have the perfect excuse to kill him."

I couldn't believe my ears.

They were going to kill Merida and put the blame on me?

I had to warn her, then make my escape.

I watched Gothel and Rapunzel talk for a while before heading off in opposite directions.

Swirling my body around, I managed to get back on the branch.

I knew I had to find Merida and warn her of the dangers.

At that moment, the sun was already beginning to set, so I knew Merida was probably going to bed, but I wasn't sure which window was hers.

I slid down the tree, back to the semi broken window and saw the other blonde haired girl sitting on a bed.

That told me it wasn't Merida's room.

After many attempts, I almost considered giving up, but when I thought of her blue eyes losing all their life, it immediately resparked my determination.

There was one window left. It was on the top floor, and the only one that was broken completely.

The only problem is, I couldn't get to it from the tree. Nevertheless, I still was agile enough.

By the window was a rusted drain pipe that was half-broken, but other than that, it would be a perfect way to climb up.

After a couple of incidents of the drain pipe crumbling behind me, and one of me losing my balance and almost plummeting to my death, I finally reached the window.

Inside I saw two silhouettes.

One was sitting on a bed, based on the crazy hair, it was Merida.

I thought the other leaning against the door might have been Anna, based on the fact she wasn't in any other room.

Turns out, I was right.

"So, What?" Merida was saying, panic was clear in her voice.

Anna nodded.

"I'm so sorry, Mer." She said.

I pressed myself under the window, holding onto some sprouting ivy for support.

"Merida. Listen to me! You need to leave!" Anna said.

All I heard in response was sniffing.

"You need to do this! Merida, you're my best friend! If anything happened to you, I don't know what I'd do!"

I smiled slightly to myself.

Merida had been warned and was making preparations to escape... I hope.

"But I've been raised by you guys since I was three!" Merida complained.

"And yet we still can't get rid of your goodness." Anna joked.

"Why are you worried?" She continued.

Merida fidgeted. "I've never really left the base's grounds."

Anna sighed. "I see... so you don't want to do this alone?"

Merida nodded.

Anna pinched the bridge of her nose in thought, then suddenly an idea came to her.

"Why don't you bring another escort? Someone whose life will also be saved."

Merida scratched her head in thought.

"Who?" she asked.

Anna smiled then said. "He's right underneath your window."

I froze.

How did Anna know I was there?

I heard the window above me open and a pair of hands grabbed me and pulled me in.

Looking around dazed and confused, I saw Merida jumped off her bed in panic, staring back at me.

"Hiccup?" She asked, bewildered.

I nervously grinned.

"Um... hi?" I asked, hoping she wouldn't slap me.

Merida ran over to me as Anna dropped me.

"You want me to bring Hiccup with me?" She asked, bewildered and slightly unamused.

"What can he do?" she asked.

Okay, ouch! I thought.

Luckily, Anna came to my rescue. "If you two go, you'll have an escort, and two lives will be saved come tomorrow."

Merida turned to look at me in surprise.

"Okay then." She said, obviously unamused.

Anna rubbed her hands together. "Okay, the two of you should probably go now. I'll come up with a good excuse tomorrow for why you two are missing. Good luck."

She guided us to a part in the building where the wall was completely ruined.

After pushing us out, she handed Merida a backpack filled with enough food and water for the both of us, then the two of us snuck out together.

I knew this was only the beginning of our adventure, and no doubt I was excited


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The next morning, I awoke on the grassy lands to the gentle sound of sweet humming.

Merida had awoken long ago and was standing over a campfire, making breakfast.

Looking up, she shyly smiled.

"Good morning." She said before pulling a bowl out of the bag and filling it with an interesting coloured goop.

"I hope you like... eggs, oatmeal and crushed up bacon." She said, handing it to me with an apologetic look on her face.

"I'm sorry... I'm not really a good cook." she apologized.

I nervously took a bite. It wasn't as bad as it looked, but it still tasted awful.

Merida, however, picked at her food, a heartbroken look on her face.

"I can't believe Gothel wants me dead." She said.

I set my bowl down and turned to her.

"Do... Do you want to talk about it?" I asked.

Merida shrugged.

"I know I should have seen this coming." She began.

"I have always failed everyone. My parents were murdered by mysterious people when I was three. I had to spend weeks alone, resorting to theft to save myself. Gothel found me one day. I was hiding from the cops because I had stolen a banana. She took pity on me because she had lost her twin brother, Pitch, not too long ago either. She told me we would avenge the people who made me an orphan... but it looks like she wants me to join my parents."

As she said those last few words, a tear fell from her eyes.

I stared at her in surprise.

This was the first time I really saw someone cry!

I wasn't sure how to handle it, but I had an inkling.

I nervously headed over to Merida and took ahold of her in my arms.

To my surprise, and happiness, Merida buried her face in my boney chest and cried.

"Oh, Hiccup..." She whispered.

"I... I want the fighting to end!" She said, I awkwardly rubbed her back, then an idea came to mind.

"We could stop the fighting." I said.

Merida's head shot up.

"What?" she asked, surprised with my declaration.

"I'm saying, you and I can stop the fighting... if we try hard enough."

"How can WE do anything about it?" Merida asked, bewildered.

"Well, how did your war start?" I asked.

Merida scratched her head in thought before snapping her fingers.

"It started because men wronged Gothel!" She said.

"A group of men killed Pitch... so Gothel decided all men were scum in her eyes. She took a bunch of us orphans in and formed 'The Five'. Her training toughened the hearts of most of us, and her hatred was what caused Iron Ore to form."

I pondered on her words, before an idea came to mind.

At that point, Merida came up with the same idea.

"So, if we want to stop the war, we have to remove something... and that something is... Gothel!" She cried out.

I nodded, letting her go and going back to my breakfast.

The only question I had was, how could Merida and I remove Gothel from the war?

After choking down my breakfast, Kelly packed up our stuff, put out the fire, and the two of us were ready to head out.

This time, our journey had a purpose. We were going to put an end to the war.

We walked a few feet when Kelly suddenly froze.

"Hiccup!" She frantically hissed.

I turned in surprise.

"Look over there!" Merida whispered.

I turned in the direction she was pointing, and to my surprise saw Gothel.

I motioned to Merida to keep quiet and pulled her behind a rock.

Hidden, we watched Gothel closely as she looked around.

"She's acting suspicious..." Merida remarked.

I blinked in surprise. Merida was right.

Gothel kept looking around every few seconds, as if she was scared about being followed and on her back was a huge bundle.

I quietly got out of my hiding place.

"Lock! What are you doing?" Merida hissed.

I pointed to where Gothel was headed.

"I want to find out where she's going." I explained.

"I'm coming with you!" Merida said.

I smiled gently at her.

This girl had people she trusted who wanted her dead, and yet she still had her fighting spirit.

"Okay." I whispered.

"Let's go."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Merida and I secretly followed Gothel for what seemed like a long time, until she finally stopped at a building called 'The scandal', which I recognized as the local strip club.

She banged on the door three times and entered.

I felt very curious. I had to see what business Gothel had at a strip club.

When Merida noticed where I was going, she gave me a sharp look.

"I never knew you were such a pervert." She whispered.

I shook my head.

"It's not that! Gothel's hiding something." I replied.

Merida shrugged. "Whatever. When you find what you're looking for, we can brainstorm a way to stop the war."

I nodded at that.

There was a window by the back enterance, and it seemed to be the right hight where I could peep through and not get caught.

Using my great climbing skills, I managed to climb by the window.

It was a good few feet off the ground, so I would be well hidden.

There were many women wrapped up in string doing sexual dance moves on poles and in cages, but that did nothing for me.

Instead, I found what I was looking for, Gothel was talking to a man.

He had a red hair and sideburns and was very skinny and his face looked like it was chiseled.

"You came alone?" the man asked.

"Naturally." Gothel replied.

"Did you bring it?" The man asked.

"Hans..." Crystal said.

"Have I ever disappointed before?"

With that, she tossed the bundle on the floor. It burst open and all the non-gold weaponry I made spilled out.

"What the...?!" I thought.

Gothel was a double agent? How? She hated guys! Guys killed her brother! Why was she working for them?

"You know you can drop the act, right?" The man said.

"Phew!" Gothel said, her voice lowering a great deal.

She reached up and took off her hair... a wig! Underneath the wig was a spiky haircut of the same hue. She also reached into her dress and pulled out two foam balls.

"That feels better." Gothel said.

"So, how is The Five going?" The man asked.

Gothel turned and beamed an evil look.

"They're just like puppets! I say 'Jump', they ask 'How high?'"

"What about that miserably annoying one? What was her name? Miranda?"

"Merida." Gothel corrected.

"She's evaded death so many times, I just want to slice her up immediately... but things are turning around, a few days ago, we got a blacksmith to build the weapons you see before you, and when he finished, according to Anna, Merida volunteered to kill him, I should expect her to come back any minute now."

"So, when are you going to get rid of The Five?" The man asked.

"Patience, Hans." Gothel said,

"As far as they know, they think I'm my deceased twin sister, Gothel. I'm letting them live in the illusion for a little bit longer."

Wait! I thought. If Gothel is the twin that died, then that means...

"You have always been an evil one, Pitch." Hans smirked.

I almost fell out of my hiding place.

Gothel was really her twin brother, Pitch! That meant Gothel was really a boy! And the real Gothel was dead! All this was getting hard to swallow.

I frantically dropped down, landing on my feet.

"Hiccup?" Merida whispered over to me.

"What did you learn?"

I pointed at 'The scandal'.

"This is Iron Ore's base!" I replied, panicked.

"And Gothel is really Pitch! He's using you guys!" I said.

Merida clapped a hand over her mouth.

"You are sure?" She asked.

I nodded.

"More sure than anything! I saw it with my own eyes."

Merida gulped. "Oh, Hiccup! What do we do?"

Fear was apparent in her eyes. I wanted to comfort her in any way, but I wasn't sure how.

Suddenly, an idea came to my head.

"Merida?" I began, surprised at my bravery.

"I want you to go back to The Five." I said.

Merida's eyes widened.

"What?" She asked in surprise.

"Why?"

I tried to look reassuring and confident, but this was still going to be hard.

"I have an idea but I need you to go back to The Five for it to work. Go back and pretend you killed me. Trust me on this."

Merida sighed. "This is going to be hard." she replied.

"Just trust me. Pretend I'm dead. When the war begins, we will meet again, until then, just keep acting."

Merida nodded, her eyes filling with fear, but determination.

"O...Okay." She said.

Turning on her heels, she ran back to the base. I, however, went back behind the rock, and just in time too: Goth- uh... I mean Pitch was coming out of The scandal dressed as his sister again.

I waited a bit before he headed out, then went to the door.

This was going to be the trickiest part.

Author's note

bet you didn't see that coming


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

I nervously went up to the back door where Pitch came out and knocked in the same fashion he did.

After a bit of waiting, the door opened and I found myself staring face to face with Hans, the skinny guy.

When he saw me at the door, he made a face like someone vomited on his doorstep.

"Who are you?" He rudely asked.

"What do you want? We don't rent!"

I was terrified, Hans was so powerful, he could break me in half without really trying! If I hadn't anticipated this, I would have scraped the plan and ran for home, but I had to be brave.

I set my face into a bitter look.

"Who I am is none of your concern." I said, bitterly, in a voice similar to Pitch's.

"Just tell me, is this the base of Iron Ore?"

Hans raised an eyebrow. "Who wants to know?"

I managed to keep my cool. "Lets just say I have a score to settle."

"So you want to join?" Hans asked.

"Did I stutter?" I rudely asked, surprised at myself.

Hans smirked. "I see, well, I have a few questions for you, what is your name?"

I pushed past him, trying to hide the fear on my face.

"My name is of no importance."

Even Hans seemed surprised.

"Well, what's YOUR beef?" He asked.

I turned. "I have been wronged. My family and my home have been taken away from me by The Five. I want my revenge!"

Hans nodded. "Okay, you seem to have the right amount of hatred... but how do I know you aren't really a girl dressed as a guy to be a double agent?"

I panicked. I hadn't considered this question. I searched my brain for a tell-tale way, until it came to me.

Turning to Hans, I lifted up my shirt and dropped my pants.

Hans's eyes widened.

I don't know if it was because of my bravery, or if it was because he could see every individual bone in my body, or because of my fake leg.

Finally, I pulled my clothes back on, feeling a little more than self conscious. Hans blinked a bit then shook his head.

"O...Okay, you're legitimate. Come on, we need to get some food into you."

As we headed into another room, Hans turned to me again.

"My name is Hans. I am the leader of Iron Ore... but you knew that already, huh? Every one knows MY name if they come to join Iron Ore."

I nodded.

Suddenly, Hans paused.

"Hold it!" He yelled.

I paused.

"You are a blacksmith, are you not?" he asked, looking at me suspiciously.

I froze. I was in trouble.

"Blacksmith?" I asked, trying not to give myself away.

"You are wearing the clothing of a blacksmith."

I racked my brain for an idea, then one finally came.

"I had my clothes stolen from me on my journey. As I was looking for the base, I found a dead blacksmith by the sidewalk. I figured, he didn't need his clothing."

Hans laughed.

"You are one messed up guy!" He replied.

"Have some lunch, then you'll need to train. We have a battle against The Five in one week."

After a lunch that looked and tasted way better than Merida's cooking, I was put through hard labour which included learning the proper way of using a sword, (Already knew it), how to dodge, (Already knew it) and the best way to win a war (Didn't know that, but whatever).

I had to ask one question.

"Hans?"

We had finished training, and as a newbie, I was ordered to be the housemaid for a day.

"Yes?" He asked.

"Why is Pitch dressed up as his sister? That's disgusting!"

Hans turned and shot me a bizarre look.

"Gothel is the reason this whole thing started. When I was little, I would play with Pitch and Gothel. I was an orphan, you see, and their parents kindly took me in. One day, Pitch and I were getting ice cream for the three of us. Gothel chose to stay outside and play. When we came outside, we saw a group of women doing something horrible to her. We couldn't do anything, as we were too frightened, but when they finished, Gothel was almost unrecognizable, screaming in pain. By the time help came, Gothel was already dead."

My eyes widened, then I remembered my mask and put on a blank face.

"I asked why Pitch cross-dresses, not his freaking life story."

Hans shook his head as if trying to clear his ears of water.

"Forgive me for being sentimental. Anyway, that day, Pitch became a misogynist. He wanted to form a war, as revenge for his sister's death, but no one would take a little boy seriously, so Pitch took some of Gothel's clothes and stole a black wig that was closest to Gothel's hair and took her name and identity. There, he found many orphaned girls, and pumped them full of hatred. As he's my best friend, I did the same with the boys. We've vowed to avenge his sister's death by killing one girl per drop of blood Gothel spilled."

"But that's the whole female population!" I cried out, before I could stop myself.

"That's the point." Hans grinned, evilly.

When the day ended, my belly felt unusually full, but my body felt sore from what I was put through, and my head was spinning from what I learned.

Hans led me to a room that was on the top floor. It was the library, but he said I could make do.

After Hans got me some bedding, I looked around the library, looking for clues on how to defeat Pitch.

After a bit of hunting, I stumbled upon a locked book that read "The Diary of Pitch."

Jackpot!

I gingerly took it off the shelf and examined it.

I may not be a locksmith, but I knew a thing or two about picking locks. I held out my pinky, tiny and thin from starvation, and using my nail, began to pick the lock. After a bit, I heard a soft 'click' and the book fell open on my lap.

I calmly began flipping through the book, looking for some sign, a clue, a secret weakness, anything to end the war! But to my dismay, all that was written was how after Gothel was killed, the hatred he bared was hammered into him.

Nothing different from what Hans told me.

I sighed sadly. The book was of no use.

I managed to relock it before anyone noticed, put the book back on the shelf and tried to sleep.

That night, I had a restless sleep.

Every time my eyes closed, I just pictured Merida and the look of disappointment on her face.

A look of hurt.

A look of anger!

Finally, I went to sleep.

As the days passed, The mornings, I ate well and every night, I would flip through books, looking for a weakness for Pitch.

Finally, one morning, Hans woke me up earlier then I'm used to.

"Wha?" I asked, not being used to being awoken at 3 in the morning.

"We have a battle to fight!" Hans whispered.

"Get dressed!"


	8. Chapter 8

Warning. The following chapter contains content that you may find disturbing. Proceed with caution.

Chapter 8

After getting dressed in gang clothes that didn't fall off me, something very rare, we each selected a weapon and shield and began our journey into battle.

It was decided that we would have our fight at The Five's base. I, however, was trapped.

I still didn't know how to defeat Pitch, and I might have to fight Merida!

I shook loose of my feelings as we marched on towards the base.

After a long march, we finally made it.

The five were standing out the front.

We stood, staring at each other.

My eye fell on Merida. When she saw what I was wearing her eyes widened.

Yeah, I knew it looked bad.

"So, Blacksmith, you live?" Pitch asked.

He was dressed as his sister again, wearing a red thing that looked like a dress.

I nodded, "And I'm not the only one, Pitch!"

The girls were in awe, murmuring in surprise about the betrayal, but there was the odd 'I knew it!' floating among the crowd.

"We've been found out, huh?" A voice called out.

Turning in surprise, Rapunzel was the only one without the look of betrayal.

"Yes, Rapunzel." Pitch smirked.

"Unfortunately, now that I'm found out, your job is over. You were just an insider to me. I told you of my secret so I could learn information about you guys faster."

Rapunzel's eyes widened.

"Oh, Punzie." He said, mockingly.

"Did you think what we had was real? My goodness, your body really is the only thing you have going for yourself."

Rapunzel's eyes narrowed, filled with hurt and rage, I on the other hand heard enough.

I ran over, took my sword and yanked off his wig.

Pitch gave me an evil look and went over to Iron Ore.

"I have no more use for you losers." He replied.

"Charge!" Hans yelled.

The battle raged on furiously.

"Merida!" I cried out, gripping onto her shoulders as she started to run forward.

Merida turned in surprise.

"Hiccup? Is this really the time?"

I nodded. "It's either now or never! I love you, Merida!"

Merida's eyes widened.

"Hiccup!" She screamed in horror.

Turning in surprise, I saw Pitch with his weapon at the ready, I pushed Merida aside and dodged.

Suddenly, an idea came to mind.

I turned and ran towards the room I was blacksmithing in.

To my delight, it was right as I left it.

I put some material in the pot and began boiling it.

After a bit, it began to melt and bubble, now all I needed was to lure Pitch into the room.

Just then I heard an ear-splitting screech.

"HICCUP!" A voice cried out.

I felt panic!

Merida!

I left the room and to my horror, found Merida was held at swordpoint by Pitch.

I watched as her gold eyes got a new look in them.

"Game over, Pitch!" She suddenly yelled, kicking him in the vital spot.

That's my girl! I found myself thinking.

As Merida took off, Pitch began to follow in pursuit.

I swiftly took my sword and plunged it in front of him.

When he looked up and saw me, his face curved into an evil smile.

"Wanna dance, Blacksmith?" He asked.

He lunged at me, tackling me to the ground.

The two of us wrestled for a long time, and every now and then, he would slash at me.

Sometimes he cut my skin, but I wanted to do my job, I'm actually surprised he didn't break any of my bones!

Finally, I began guiding him to the room.

When I reached the room, I threw open the door and pulled him in with me.

"This ends now!" I cried out.

"I couldn't agree more!" Pitch replied, wrapping his hands around my throat.

I felt my vision begin to blur, suddenly, I remembered what Merida did.

I delivered a sharp kick to the groin and he let go.

My lungs hurt as the air suddenly shot back into them.

Pitch crawled over to me, cussing and snarling.

"You think you've won?" he asked.

"You think you're going to defeat me and Merida is just going to fall for you? Well guess again! I'm going to kill you, and her too!"

I suddenly grabbed the pot and flung the melted metal at Pitch.

He screamed blue murder as the metal hit his skin.

I gulped back the bile in my throat that was threatening to come up, but I had to finish this.

It was too far along to back out.

Locating my blacksmith hammer, I hammered the traitor into place until he looked no more than a gold statue.

"No." I said calmly to him.

"You're wrong. If you weren't monologing, you would have smelled the melted metal."

After that, I staggered out of the room and saw Merida was waiting for me with a nervous look.

"Are you okay, Hiccup?" She asked.

I smiled and nodded.

"Thank goodness." She replied, hugging me.

"I defeated Pitch." I whispered.

"How?" Merida asked in surprise.

I smirked. "Let's just say it's one of my golden moments." I joked, hugging her back.

Suddenly, a bloodcurdling scream was heard.

"ANNA!" Merida cried out, watching as Hans pulled a sword out from her chest.

Anna gasped, coughing up blood until finally the light left her eyes.

Merida dropped to her knees, her eyes widened and her breath quickened.

"Merida?" I asked, trying to console.

Suddenly, Merida got a look over her eyes. Almost animatistic.

She let out a roar and came running towards Hans.

"You!" She bellowed.

"You little MoFo!" She hollered, tackling Hans to the ground.

She screamed many un-repeatable things as she plunged a knife into him multiple times.

Finally, Hans stopped moving and the light left his eyes, but Merida wasn't finished.

"NOT YET!" She snarled, the animalistic look in her eyes again.

I half expected her eyes to glow red.

She ran the knife down his chest and ripped it open.

"There you are!" She snarled, plunging her hand in the hole, rooted around and pulled out his heart, tiny, delicate and non beating.

"This is for you, Anna!" Then she crammed the heart in her mouth.

I forced down bile and vomit as Merida indulged in the heart, blood squirting out her mouth and dribbling down her chin.

Finally, she swallowed the last bite.

Panting as she wiped the blood off her mouth, she turned back to me, the animalistic look replaced with tears and guilt.

"I'm sorry..." she began, wiping the tears away.

"I'm so sorry! Please forgive me... Don't let your opinion of me change" she whispered.

I blinked in horror.

The Merida I had fallen in love with had turned into a heartless cannibal right in front of my very eyes!

But I looked at her. She looked so scared, like she was about to lose the one remaining person who loved her.

I understood the rage she felt, but now I held her heart in my hand and I could break it, or take care of it, and I had long ago made up my mind.

I gently smiled and took her in my arms.

"Don't worry." I whispered, holding her as she wept into my chest.

"Nothing will change."

When word got around that Pitch was defeated, the battle ended immediately.

Author's note

This isn't the last chapter. The next one is, though.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

That night, The Five and Iron Ore were both terminated, and all the members of both sides had to find a new way of living.

Pitch's metal encrusted body was held out the front of The Five's former base as a remembrance and a warning to everyone who ever wanted to do something like that again.

Hans's body was made into mulch to fertilize the new garden we put in the back yard.

Anna on the other hand was buried and had a proper burial, though it was only attended by me and Merida. And the other blonde, Elsa, who I later found out was her sister.

The members of The five and Iron Ore, well the ones that lived, they vanished without a trace, some to find a new life, others to find new gangs.

After that, however, Merida and I were admitted to the hospital.

Merida was in for a week with a broken wrist, and to get the heart out of her stomach, just in case it was infected with anything.

I on the other hand was in there longer.

I was closer to death's door then I imagined.

I was starved (Knew that), had severe blood poisoning, (Didn't know that) and broke the majority of my bones (Was kinda expecting that, but was still kinda surprised).

I spent a lot of the month in the hospital, but I wasn't upset.

There was a bit more peace between the genders then before, and once The Five truly broke up, and I was released from the hospital, quit my job as a blacksmith and gained the right amount of muscle and fat, and once I received a healthy, rosy colour, Merida and I decided to become adventurers, and travel the world.

Things we couldn't really do before, when we were in our cages.

On our journey, we never really talked about The Five, or Iron Ore... It felt too much like a Pandora's Box.

One night, Merida and I were camping out.

It was evening, and we were sitting around a campfire, when we decided to open that lid.

"Merida?" I asked, feeling slightly uncomfortable with what I was about to do.

"Yes?" She asked, looking up.

I gulped.

"During the war... Why did you... um...?"

"Why did I eat Hans's heart?" She asked, reading my mind.

I simply nodded. If I was in trouble by asking the question, no need to stick myself in it any further by saying the wrong thing.

"It's a right of passage." She explained.

"Passage?"

"Yeah... Even though I wasn't a member of The Five anymore, Gothel... er... Pitch, told us that when we make our first kill, we have to prove just how heartless we are by...eating the heart... Kinda ironic, huh?"

I nodded.

"I guess I didn't want to be left out of the fun." She admitted.

"I was the last person in The Five to eat a heart."

I smiled at her, relaxed.

We went back to the void of silence, before Merida broke it this time.

"Hiccup, I realized I never answered you during the war."

I looked up in surprise.

What did she...? Oh, right... I blushed, and tried to hide it.

"I love you, Hiccup." She whispered, fidgeting with her hands, her voice so quiet I could hardly hear.

"And I think I always have." she added, her face going scarlet and her hands moving to her face.

I smiled and took ahold of her hands, looking at her with all the love I could muster.

I had imagined this scene many times, but now that this was real, I knew exactly how to handle it.

"And I love you." I replied.

Merida smiled up at me.

I gently kissed her in response.

The two of us might have some troubles, as any relationship would, but I knew we had experienced so much together, we would be okay.

As I pulled away, I knew that this was the beginning of a brand new saga.

Hope you enjoyed


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